Beef bourguignon
See this recipe step by step

Beef bourguignon

This sumptuous, step-by-step recipe for slow-cooked stew from Gordon Ramsay makes a great winter supper

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 15 mins

Freezable

beef bourguignon only

Method

  1. Heat a large casserole pan and add 1 tbsp goose fat. Season the beef and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 mins, then turn over and fry the other side until the meat is browned all over, adding more fat if necessary. Do this in 2-3 batches, transferring the meat to a colander set over a bowl when browned.
  2. In the same pan, fry the bacon, shallots or pearl onions, mushrooms, garlic and bouquet garni until lightly browned. Mix in the tomato purée and cook for a few mins, stirring into the mixture. This enriches the bourguignon and makes a great base for the stew. Then return the beef and any drained juices to the pan and stir through.
  3. Pour over the wine and about 100ml water so the meat bobs up from the liquid, but isn't completely covered. Bring to the boil and use a spoon to scrape the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pan - this will give the stew more flavour.
  4. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Make a cartouche: tear off a square of foil slightly larger than the casserole, arrange it in the pan so it covers the top of the stew and trim away any excess foil. Then cook for 3 hrs. If the sauce looks watery, remove the beef and veg with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few mins until the sauce has thickened a little, then return the beef and vegetables to the pan.
  5. To make the celeriac mash, peel the celeriac and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Tip in the celeriac and fry for 5 mins until it turns golden. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, bay and cardamom pods, then pour over 200ml water, enough to nearly cover the celeriac. Turn the heat to low, partially cover the pan and leave to simmer for 25-30 mins.
  6. After 25-30 mins, the celeriac should be soft and most of the water will have evaporated. Drain away any remaining water, then remove the herb sprigs, bay and cardamom pods. Lightly crush with a potato masher, then finish with a glug of olive oil and season to taste. Spoon the beef bourguignon into serving bowls and place a large spoonful of the celeriac mash on top. Garnish with one of the bay leaves, if you like.
Try

Make ahead

Try to make this dish a day in advance, then slowly reheat in the oven. You'll find that the flavours will really develop overnight and the dish will be richer and more mature.

Beef shin

Beef shin is a great cut for slow-cooking. It's good value and the ripples of fat running through it ensure that it doesn't dry out. You could also use wild boar, which gives a really special flavour.

Know how - Bouquet garni

To make a bouquet garni, use a piece of string to tie together a couple of rosemary, thyme and parsley sprigs and a handful of bay leaves. Remove from the pan at the end of cooking and discard.

Tip - peeling onions

To peel shallots or pearl onions quickly, place in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave for a few minutes, then drain and the skins will slip off.

Per serving

571 kcalories, protein 42.0g, carbohydrate 16.0g, fat 32.0 g, saturated fat 10.0g, fibre 8.0g, sugar 15.0g, salt 1.47 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 121-140

  • Binder photo joe

    04 May 2011

    joe rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic dish. Served with green beans and crusty bread 2 days after making. kids enjoyed as much as adults....

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  • Binder photo deb

    17 May 2011

    deb commented on this recipe

    I marinaded all the ingredients in the wine the night before i cooked it made the flavour rich and delicious, also cooked mine in the slow cooker for 8 hrs made the beef do tender it was like butter.

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  • Binder photo deb

    17 May 2011

    deb commented on this recipe

    I marinaded all the ingredients in the wine the night before i cooked it made the flavour rich and delicious, also cooked mine in the slow cooker for 8 hrs made the beef so tender it was like butter.

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  • Binder photo ryronald18

    23 May 2011

    ryronald18 commented on this recipe

    Marinaded cubes of Welsh Black beef overnight in a mixture of minced garlic,dash of Worcester sauce,balsamic vinegar,red meat seasoning,fresh thyme and sprig of rosemary. Will begin cooking later and will report back with the outcome and rating.

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  • Binder photo ryronald18

    23 May 2011

    ryronald18 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    ....ok this recipe was delicious. 5 hours in the oven and it was amazing. I sealed the beef first after sprinkling with seasoned flour. Didn't need to thicken the sauce and used beef stock and red wine. Served with New boiled minted potatoes and crusty bread....can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow. Highly recommended

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  • Binder photo actress1nce

    30 May 2011

    actress1nce rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Gorgeous.... a rich, tasty sauce. I prepared as per the recipe but cooked it in the slow cooker. Added some chunky carrots to soak up the flavour and to get the kids eating veg, they prefer them flavoured than just boiled and naked. Didn't use pearl mushrooms or shalots, just finely chopped the same weight in normal onioons. Served with creamy mash....Mmmmm! Thanks, Gordon :D

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  • Binder photo Becks

    19 July 2011

    Becks rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Wonderful! I made this the day before for a dinner party and on the day everybody wanted seconds! I made a mature cheddar mash to go with it as celeriac is tricky to find in Australia and tipped a whole bottle of quality burgundy into it. Next time I'll make even more, as I want plenty of leftovers!

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  • Binder photo Sarah

    23 July 2011

    Sarah commented on this recipe

    I made this for friends recently and as a complete amature was a little worried. I did'nt need to be this was AMAZING!! Lots of compliments and will def make it again soon, a firm favourite. I did cook it for longer than suggested (more like 4hrs) and took the lid off for the last 40mins to make a delicious, thick sauce, yum yum!!!

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  • Binder photo sonya_l

    30 August 2011

    sonya_l commented on this recipe

    I used half wine, half beef stock, and just chucked all the ingredients in a pot and simmered in the hob for 3 hrs. Right before serving i added a tbsp of cournflour and a little cold water to thicken and it was DELICIOUS. Why go to all the effort of browing beef, frying bacon etc when you can just throw evertyhing in, go do the gardening and come back to a beautfully cooked stew.

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  • Binder photo Food_lover

    26 September 2011

    Food_lover commented on this recipe

    This dish was incredible! I cooked it for 5hours and the cheap cut of meat that I bought melted in the mouth. I thickened the sauce with a little cornflour. This has become my favourite meal!

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  • Binder photo Foodie

    22 October 2011

    Foodie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Laura

    23 October 2011

    Laura rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Spacegourmet

    30 October 2011

    Spacegourmet rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yummie, and easy to make. I fed friends with it, and the only downside was that they finished it and still wanted more!!

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  • Binder photo Mb

    04 November 2011

    Mb rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I used butter instead of goose fat, and, having read some of the above comments, tried half wine and half stock in the sauce. It wasn't quite rich enough but two thirds wine to one third stock was absolutely perfect.

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  • Binder photo R8chel

    04 November 2011

    R8chel rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I'm a veggie, but this recipe smelt lovely! The meat just melts in the mouth (apparently!) I used 800g of meat as it was for 5 adults ...there was enough for 6. A SUPERB DINNER PARTY DISH!!! I used normal mash for ease!!

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  • Binder photo bonbon

    05 November 2011

    bonbon rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made it for a few friends and went down really well. I floured the beef before frying which helped thicken the sauce.

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  • Binder photo Justcookin

    06 November 2011

    Justcookin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This really is a classic winter dish, warming, rich and as smooth as velvet. Ok everyone will have their own variation on how this will work, but I do not use flour to thicken sauces or gravy. I like the cooking process to carry out the reduction as far as possible. Then if the sauce needs thickening I use two teaspoons of Arrowroot in a third of a teacup of cold water, and well stirred in whilst the sauce is boiling. It does not cloud the sauce, adds no taste and is not lumpy. Even a duck orange sauce remains translucent.

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  • Binder photo Andrea Ferguson

    08 November 2011

    Andrea Ferguson commented on this recipe

    Although this recipe was nice it did lack depth in the flavour, I would add a good beef stock next time and a bit more veg.

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  • Binder photo Sallie

    10 November 2011

    Sallie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Excellent had with mashed potato and it was delicious, used beef shoulder.

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  • Binder photo Homechef from Harrogate

    25 November 2011

    Homechef from Harrogate commented on this recipe

    Sensational! Tried many good recipes for boeuf bourguignon but this one stand out. So rich and tasty. I used 50/50 wine/beef stock. Will be on the Christmas Eve menu this year!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 15 mins

Freezable

beef bourguignon only

Make ahead for the best flavour

Ingredients

  • 3 tsp goose fat
  • 600g shin beef , cut into large chunks
  • 100g smoked streaky bacon , sliced
  • 350g shallots or pearl onions, peeled
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms (about 20)
  • 2 garlic clove , sliced
  • 1 bouquet garni (See know-how below)
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 750ml bottle red wine , Burgundy is good

FOR THE CELERIAC MASH

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Per serving

571 kcalories, protein 42.0g, carbohydrate 16.0g, fat 32.0 g, saturated fat 10.0g, fibre 8.0g, sugar 15.0g, salt 1.47 g

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